


The Mirror

by peppergoji



Series: Luminous Au [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Death, Emotional Abuse, Gore, Grief, Horror, Kidnapping, Starlight au, carrion king au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 15:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30141498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppergoji/pseuds/peppergoji
Summary: A collection of what if scenarios splintered off of Starlight Au that wouldn't fit into the main story, but exist adjacent to it. Mostly contains drabbles.
Series: Luminous Au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019550
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Part One of The Carrion King Au. The scenario is that Emperor Belos' teenage child ran away from home when they were 15, but unlike in Starlight Au, they never came back until 9 years later. Long after everyone thought they'd perished, and the empire has been demolished at the hands of it's own ruler. Driven even more mad with grief, Emperor Belos now goes by the title of The Carrion King, for wherever he goes he leaves a trail of death. Apricus, recently returned to the isles and seeing everything they love in ruins, vows to destroy this monster to free the island from his reign of terror. Things don't go like they expect. I wrote this one in a day so it's a little different pacing than my other works.

By the time they've reached the last hallway, Belos is convinced that he's dealing with someone completely enraptured with the lie of heroism, perhaps even more so than himself in his foolish youth.

He already has a smile cutting his face in half by the time they take the steps into his lair, their boots squelching as they walk across the roots of his body.

He snaps his fingers, and a single dusty brazier lights up in the middle of the room to give the fainted glimmer of light to see him by.

"Well now! The little hero is here to slay the big bad monster. Let me guess, you're going to offer me a chance to repent before I rip your limbs off?"

"Words would be wasted on you. _This is for The Emperor._ " The warrior says through gritted teeth as they draw their blade. Belos pauses for a moment, before he tosses his head back and bursts out laughing. And so they fight, neither party having any true knowledge as to who the other is.

Apricus fights hard and well, but Belos was prepared and taking this bout seriously, so there comes a point where they're on their knees before him.

Their fighting arm is broken and twisted at a strange angle, and their opponent knocks their blade out of their working hand when they try to get back on their feet.

Another fleshy hand emerges out of the floor and punches them in the chest to send them onto their back, and when they open their eyes again there's a blade pressed to their throat.

 _"Hmm hmmm hmm! I want to see your face when you're screaming in agony, off with this drab mask."_ Another arm emerges and tears off the carved wooden bird mask covering the swordsman's face.

A pair of blazing orange eyes stare up at The Carrion King without the slightest hint of fear, only rage and resignation for what's going to happen.

Belos was about to say something else vile, but when he sees this all words die in his throat.

They hurt like hell, and they know of The Carrion King's reputation to try to take things slow when ending other people's lives, so for one last act of attack they start sassing him.

"What, are you going to kill me or just gawk like some kind of stupid-" A thousand fleshy hands emerge out of the floor below them and shove them into The Carrion King's awaiting embrace.

Apricus can only make out a handful of decipherable words from the infernal chorus, "Dearest" "MINE" "Lost!" "Home. HOME."

The warrior curses loudly when their broken bones have pressure put on them, and in a last act of defiance they spit their own blood onto the stained mask of The Carrion King.

The cacophony stops, and in an eerily calm tone, the monster says _"You're injured."_

"Yeah, no fucking shit." Apricus mutters.

Near instantly a red glow engulfs The Carrion King's hands, but instead of a killing blow, it's a healing spell and all of his opponent's injuries are healed instantly.

"What the hell are you on about?" They swear at him, before their eyes widen in horror as his fingers elongate into long sabres that they didn't doubt could cut through them.

The Carrion King then wastes no time in tearing Apricus' gauntlets off, just to make absolutely sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is who he thinks it is.

Of course they struggle, big fucking claws scraping at their body is not what they think of as friendly behavior.

They've heard of The Carrion King's sadistic tendencies, they just think he's trying to make this last as long as possible.

"Fuck OFF! What is it with beasts like you toying with their food?!? Ya' damn bastard!" They shout, kicking away the monster's hands again and again.

But The Carrion King isn't feeling patient today, and Apricus ends up trussed up like an animal in a trap while he peels their gauntlets off.

When he sees the black and white crescents on their hands, a breathless laugh escapes him.They're back in the monster's arms, but this time it doesn't hurt he's and crooning while he rubs his filthy white mask against their cheek.

 _"I'm never going to let you go sweetheart!"  
_  
"EUGH! You're disgusting!"

* * *

Eventually, Belos gets tired of Apricus screaming at him and punching him in the chest, so he carries them off to their old bedroom.

He figures that his dear Sunshine is just having a temper tantrum, so he sets them down on their bed and leaves.

Apricus counts the steps that follow as he walks away from the door. _Only five. Shit, he's still there._ They let out a groan and fall back into a bed that's barely large enough to fit them anymore.

They lift up their head, and glance around, and it strikes them that this is probably the eeriest part of the castle so far just because of how normal it is.

Other than the dust, their room looks exactly the same as the day they left it, unlike the graveyard that is the rest of the castle. There's one other thought that bothers them, _why would the monster know that this is their room?_

They knew that at the start of their mission, the odds were that they were going to die.

Apricus had plenty of time to accept and come to terms with this. But now that they didn't know what awaited them, fear started to creep into their being.

 _"Jesus Christ, what is that thing gonna do to me?"_ They whisper to themself, careful to keep their voice down since they knew that The Carrion King was likely just outside their door.

Apricus' breath started to hasten, but they covered their mouth to try to keep quiet.

It was too late to back down now.

They couldn't give up themself, and they couldn't let down everyone who was depending on them to slay this monster, and the people they needed to avenge.

So they spoke to themselves, and tried to muster up their courage. _"Father I-I. I can still do this._ I'm going to do this for you, for-for everyone-"

They swallow a lump in their throat as tears start to form at the corners of their eyes.

Despite their best efforts a sob escapes them, the events of everything that had been happening for the past 2 months rapidly began to catch up with them.

The sleepless nights, the mourning, the nightmares of finding twisted bodies and seeing witches do unspeakable things to each other.

It was all so much, too much, and they began to weep.

Then, against all expectation, the door to their room is busted off of it's hinges.

It's The Carrion King rushing in, and he wastes absolutely no time to scoop them up in his arms again.

The young warrior shouts and attempts to strike him again, but the monster shushes them and pets their face with his gnarled talons. 

_"Why are you doing this!?!"_ They demand, only to have their voice muffled as their face is buried into a mess of brown hair that grew to cover the entirety of The Carrion King's neck and shoulders.

Apricus tries to struggle again, only to freeze as things start to fall into place for them.

_Wait. Brown hair. Long talons and teeth. A pair of glowing blue eyes that pierce into your very soul._

That was the final straw to make Apricus break down entirely, crying harder than they'd had since they were just a child while their broken father tries to comfort them to no avail.

_"My child, my wonderful, sweet child-"_

"I TRIED TO KILL YOU!" Apricus wails. 

_"I love you."_

Apricus ends up passing out from exhaustion.

* * *

When Apricus wakes up, they're tucked into bed, and they hear the sound of a man humming.

It sounds like their father's voice and their throat tightened, it's been so long since they heard him- But when they turn to look, it's The Carrion King back to his usual shape and he's standing next to their bed, watching them, and presumably did the same while they slept.

 _"Good morning. I apologize for waking you, I got an old tune stuck in my head and I was trying to recall how it went..."_ He lets out a soft sigh. He sounds so. Normal. Chipper but normal.

Apricus blinks owlishly, the events of yesterday come rushing back to them and they fling themselves off of the bed only to fall to the ground in a heap while they try to scoot away from him.

 _"Sunshine! You didn't bump your head did you?"_ He asks as he glides over.

He's already casting a healing spell on them before they can answer, and he lifts Apricus up by their shoulders and to, you guessed it, his arms again.

"I'm fine." They rasp indignantly, their voice still a touch hoarse from their outburst last night.

 _"Your mother died while she was just walking down the hall you know! A little tumble is worthy of concern."_ He makes this sickly laugh that makes Apricus' stomach churn, and they stare at the floor.

They grind their teeth while their eyes trace the pattern of The Emperor's seal on their carpet.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

 _"What isn't?"_ The Carrion King replies easily.

That takes Apricus by surprise, and they lift their head to look at him.

They never expected a monster like him to display any level of self awareness of what he's doing.

 _Maybe, maybe I could reach him?_ They think, but then they remember all the bodies and statue that litter the rest of the castle outside of their room and their expression steels.

Belos doesn't seem to notice their dilemma, and he starts softly humming to himself before he looks back at them.

"Oh, I just remembered that song. _The other night dear, when you lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms...But when I awoke dear, I was mistaken, and so I held my head and cried."_

"Shut up." Apricus says tersely before turning away from him.

They turn to their mirror.

Their wounds are closed of course, but there's still holes in their clothing, and the tattered remains of their armor is still around their chest and arms.

Their hair is a mess and there's bags under their eyes-and to put it bluntly they look like a trainwreck.

They'd recently found out that their family is gone, and the man responsible but also the last they have left is standing just a foot behind them.

Apricus can't look at what's become of their father, and slowly crouch down to rest their elbows on the dresser while they hold their head.

Soon, they feel a heavy hand rest on their shoulder.

"I thought you never wanted me to talk to you about Mom again." Apricus mutters.

"Things have changed since you've left." Answers the king, his tone just as hollow as Apricus suspected he was.

They snort, but don't move until they feel like they can put on some pretense of composure before turning to look at Belos again.

"Father." Apricus says in a tensed breath. This is the first time they'd called him such in a decade, and it felt unnatural to direct it at such a revolting being, no matter how factual it was.

Just that one word has a very noticeable effect on Belos.

His head tilts to the left, but then keeps going, and going, and he makes a corkscrew with his own neck.

 _"You know, I forgot that was a word up until now."_ Belos croaked with some type of giddiness that Apricus didn't want to dive into.

"Could you not?"

They spend the next minute just staring at each other, everything is quiet except for the sound of Belos' mildly labored breathing while his bright blue eyes bore into them.

Apricus clears their throat. "So! We. Um, the killing each other thing. I take it you have no interest doing that now you know who I am?"

Belos head jerks forward so there's scarcely an inch between the two of them.

_"Never. I'd sooner toss myself into a vat of acid. You are my child."_

Apricus' fist was now currently stuck in where Belos' ribcage would be when they tried to punch him on instinct, and they gulp as they retrieve their hand from his amorphous form.

"Riiiiiiight." They drawl. "So uh, what do you have planned? If not beating the tar out of each other."

 _"Breakfast."_ Belos rasps.

Apricus' mouth stretches into a flat line as they imagine The Carrion King trying to feed them someone's corpse on a plate.

Then, they pictured that corpse being their own.

"Father, I don't want to see what your idea of breakfast is-" They start, only to be cut off by their grisly captor.

 _"It's eggs._ The hydra guarding the spike pit just laid a clutch, and one would be more than enough to feed a growing child like yourself." He sounds strangely pleased with himself when he says this, and Apricus starts glancing around.

"I mean, I'm not up for the idea of eating something's baby. Or babies in general. I erm. I want a vegetarian option."

Belos stares at them like they just suggested he try getting cheese from the moon, but he lets out a small sigh.

"I'll have one of the servants to bring back something good."

Apricus hesitates to comment, spends a moment to gather thoughts.

Something else concerning struck them as they did so. "Also, why did you just call me a child? I'm almost 24."

 _"Because you're my sweet baby."_ Belos insists as he puts his hands on their shoulders.

While they were looking, they noticed that wherever The Carrion King touched them, he left red smears.

_That isn't dye._

The pit at the bottom of their stomach sank ever lower. "Actually why don't I just go out shopping instead? I know a farmer who hasn't had their livelihood demolished yet, I can get something from them!"

Apricus manages to duck away and try to head for the door, but Belos is just as fast and blocks the way with his enormous frame.

Just as Apricus was turning to try to head for the window, his arm darts out and grabs them by the wrist to hold them close.

 _"And leave you ready to be snatched up again by all of those awful witches and demons?"_ He pauses to laugh balefully, before finishing with a resolute _"No."_

Apricus' eyes widen, but they channel their fear into aggression instead of showing more weakness.

They manage to yank their hand away, and take several steps backwards to try to get some distance.

"I've never been snatched up before, and even if I was, I can handle myself! I almost kicked your ass just the other day, if you hadn't tripped me up then you'd be the one with a broken mask."

 _"Then how were you hidden from me for so long?"_ Belos questions, his voice taking on a strange timbre while he stalks closer.

Apricus hisses when their back goes up against a wall, but before they can evade him he's got his fingers around the hood of their cloak.

He inhales sharply and tilts his head, taking a moment to regard them. His volatile temper seems to diminish somewhat, and he speaks to them in a more even tone. At first anyhow.

"No one could find you Apricus, not my oracles, not my covens, not even my military. For once, I asked the country I'd spent so long serving to repay me for everything that I'd done. _And they failed me."_ As Belos continued his voice took on that barely contained fury that Apricus had grown to expect with The Carrion King, but even in this the sanguine sovereign failed to be consistent.

"So, I stepped in _myself_ to make sure they'd have proper motivation, and you know what they did Sunshine? _They abandoned me. THEY WOULDN'T EVEN STAY TO HELP ME FIND THE BODY!"_

Apricus' throat tightens as they watch Belos' form warp, but since he was in such close proximity with their face, Belos seems to actually notice the fear he was causing them and stopped shouting.

Belos is gasping for breath, and though their throat has long since started getting dry Apricus can feel tears threatening to come out again.

They grind their teeth and look down. "Father, I was fine. I met good people in the human world, and I have a good life with people who care about me over there."

 _"They may have acted like it. But they kept you from me."_ Belos whispers as he slowly backed away.

 _"Father."_ Apricus starts, but then shakes their head while they attempt to keep their tone even. The last thing they needed was to work The Carrion King into a frenzy while they're without a weapon.

"I fail to see how you accusing people you've never even met is in any way productive. Nor is trapping me here."

_"I can't let you out of my sight."_

Apricus' mouth gapes open, and they shake their head in disbelief. This monster couldn't have been any more different than the absent father they'd left behind all those years ago.

"Father, do you actually love me or are you just saying that to make this harder for me?"

The Carrion King's hands clench, he almost looks offended that Apricus would even suggest such a thing, but then he croaks as he remembers their less than happy youth.

He pushes these memories aside though while he steps towards Apricus.

 _"I love you more than any other creature on this accursed island. You came back to me!"_ He insists while reaching out to try to hold them again.

Apricus puts up their hand. "You said you loved me as a child and then you stopped. How should I know you won't do the same thing again when you tire of me?" They rebuke, keeping a wary eye on any and all movements their father was going to make.

A hysterical laugh escapes Belos, and he grabs their hand. _"Sunshine, that was just a stupid game I was playing with myself! No matter how badly I've wanted to, I'd have more luck trying to get a splinter out with a mallet than prying your lovely talons out of my heart. It's why I-"_

"I thought you hated me." Apricus cuts him off, before stopping themselves when they realize that continuing to provoke The Carrion King was likely a horrendous idea.

That was an astute judgement, because a prolonged screech escaped the monster while his form started to distort again.

It'd been another half hour until Apricus was put back on their feet, their pointed ears still ringing from the sound of their father's many declarations and incessant chanting.

* * *

 _"You don't know how miserable it's been without you."_ Belos whispers while he follows Apricus down the hall like a shadow with extra dimensions.  
  
Any and all of the residents of the castle flee as soon as they catch sight of their king, and Apricus manages to go where they remember the dining hall is without being accosted by The Carrion King's ghastly followers.  
  
"I can only imagine." They mutter while they try not to think too hard about all the skeletons that littered the floor around almost every corner.  
  
The dining room is just as much a horror show as the rest of the castle.  
  
The once immaculate redwood table was now splattered in a mosaic of rusty stains, and at some place settings there's still the rotting remains of someone's lunch piled up in a heap.  
  
Somehow, Apricus manages to tear their eyes away from the maggot infested hunk of flesh sitting on a metal platter.  
  
"...I take it house cleaners are hard to come by in this day and age?" Apricus says in a shaky jest, trying anything and everything to keep their composure.  
  
A loud snort comes from The Carrion King, and that develops into a wheezing laughter.  
 _  
"Ohhhohoho! You could say that again. Even if I wasn't here, any maid would take one look at this place and just want to curl up and die!"_  
  
"Yeah it's-" Apricus winces. "Ngh. None of this seems really sanitary, I think we'd be better off in my room. Or uh, the garden, if that place isn't too bad."  
  
They chew on their lip, it's one of the only places in the castle with access to the open sky, and even if they can't fly Apricus is hoping they still have some glyphs that Belos didn't confiscate in their satchel.  
  
"We could sit on the old tree together, like when I was small." They add, hoping to tempt Belos further.  
  
"Father? What do you think?"

Belos doesn't reply immediately, and he blinks once he's roused from his memories. "...That would be a marvelous idea Apricus." He says in that fond, gentle tone that they hadn't heard in decades. It makes their heart twist.  
  
As expected, the garden isn't untouched by the passage of time either. Even if it's far less explicitly gruesome than the rest of the castle, the implications of what Apricus sees there is no less disturbing.  
  
Close to a hundred statues now litter the courtyard, and few intact. In the southwest corner there's a pile of stone chunks, and based on everything the fact that one of The Carrion King's other names was "The Bloody Gorgon", Apricus knew that Belos hadn't commissioned them as art instillations.  
  
Aside from being more weathered, the stone tree looks more or less the same, but Apricus doesn't want to sit on it anymore.  
  
Belos however had already scooped them up, and the both of them were floated up to their old spots while Belos placed himself down.  
  
He pats the stone branch expectantly, and reluctantly Apricus seats themselves to his right while they stare at the blue sky above them.  
  
They spend several minutes like this, just staring, looking at the clouds and pretending that they saw something pleasant that didn't exist.  
  
But everything just looked like dismembered body parts to them now.  
  
Realizing that silence didn't suit them, they glance over to Belos, who was similarly staring. Not at clouds, but them. They tear their eyes away from their father, and look at the clouds as a less gruesome alternative.  
  
"I wish someone had told me who you were." Apricus says in a whisper.  
  
Belos grumbles his agreement and pats their shoulder, leaving another rusty stain on their white cloak.  
  
 _"Well Sunshine, you're not the first or the last person to try to kill me, but hmmmm! You sure got closer than anyone else. Good job."_  
  
Apricus turns their head to face Belos with an utterly mortified expression, "Fucking hell Father." They scrunch up their face.

 _"I'm glad you haven't neglected your swordmanship, I'd have hated to see all those lessons go to waste."_ The creature rumbles while he pets their cheek.

Apricus feels queasy even with an empty stomach, and bats his filthy hand away.

Of course, Belos doesn't take the hint. _"And you cut down my servants so swiftly, it was really entertaining to watch I must admit-"_

"Father, please stop." Apricus pleads, and Belos tilts his head to the side.

More than anything else Apricus wishes that they just had never gotten out of bed that day.

"I'm-I'm not like you Father. I don't like hurting people, I only did this because I had no choice." Apricus tries to explain while they screw their eyes shut.

Belos is silent for a time, but then he does a short nod. "You always did take more after your mother."

"I wouldn't know." Apricus confesses.

They lick their chapped lips and contemplate asking for some water, not that they know if any water here would be safe to drink.

"You have her looks, and lucky you...She was absolutely beautiful." Belos makes a strained breath, and knits his fingers together.

"Like she'd been hand crafted by Titan themself for the purpose of being loved. And she had just as much love to give back."

Apricus' eyes go wide, and their question was plain on their face before they even said it.

"H-how are you talking about her like this? When I was kid, you'd always get mad when I tried to ask you?"

 _"I was stupid, and thought if I didn't think about her then the pain would go away."_ Belos snorts.

"But it was always there, the hole your mother left. Burning and festering inside me, ready to sting any given moment."

He reached out for Apricus to take his hand. Of course, they didn't, and he grabbed their wrist anyways.

"Then, I realized, it's a part of me now. Why should I hide it?" He leaned his head back. "And then, I wondered why I should hide anything? _What's the point if I feel like I'm rotting anyways?"_

Apricus' chin trembled, and despite everything he'd done, they can't help but feel for him. The warrior hates him for this while they wrap their arm around their father.

"Dad, you can't make me cry anymore before I have something to drink, otherwise I'll get dehydrated." They try to joke to bring an end to this horrible conversation.

An inhuman sound that could only only really be described as affectionate came from Belos as he leaned into the hug.

He couldn't remember the last time anyone had anyone held him in their arms like this, or had come to him that wasn't motivated by selfish reasons.

No, no they had only arrived because they were selfless, they wanted to do good no matter the personal cost-

Belos' eyes snapped wide open.

Apricus came here willing to throw their life away.

_Again._

_"I won't let you go."_ He whispers, and Apricus' hand clenches to crumble up the glyph they'd managed to get out of their left satchel.

Thankfully Belos doesn't see the glyph, since he was currently transfixed on Apricus' face as he finally took in just how tired and stressed they truly were, like they hadn't slept properly in weeks.

He decides that this can't stand.

_"Tell me child, has The Titan been speaking to you?"_

"What? I mean-"

_"You mustn't believe it's lies. It isn't a god, it's just a cruel ghost that sees us as playthings to entertain itself with."_

Apricus' mouth gapes open yet again, and they try to search Belos for any sign of sarcasm.

With the mask on, of course it's hard to tell.

"Father? You must be joking. You, you'd never-"

_"I dedicated my life to serving The Titan, and they robbed me of everything that has ever mattered to me. There was no lesson in her death, there was no lesson in my body melting into a pile of slime, it was just cruelty. Pointless and sadistic."_

Belos let out a hum as he cupped his hand around Apricus' face. _"Thankfully, they are weaker than they would lead us on. All it takes is awareness and dedication to evade its strings."_

Apricus' brow furrows as they want to argue.

"Y-you're right in that Titan isn't a god-" They lead, to not seem like they're trying to downplay Belos's suffering.

"But they're not intentionally cruel. They don't control much, they don't know everything, they make mistakes, because they're a person. They're not any more worse than anyone else."

Belos hums as he tilts his head.

_"So they have been speaking to you. Duly noted."_

Apricus opens their mouth to protest, but Belos just keeps going.

 _"But it doesn't matter. They can't reach you here, and I'll make sure they can't manipulate you anymore."_   
  
"I'm not some fiddle that people can play." Apricus' face contorts in irritation, but Belos doesn't listen.

 _"I'm not insulting you. Anyone can be manipulated Apricus, I should know. I was a master at the craft and even I was played as a fool for decades."_ Belos rambles while Apricus lets out a short growl.

"What about breakfast?" Apricus cuts in, hoping to end the lecture before it starts.

"Ah, right." Belos snaps his fingers, and in a burst of light a random servant appears before them while held within Belos' magic.

They obviously didn't expect this and are openly terrified at being suspended in the air before The Carrion King.

"You. Go and grab a bottle of mead low in alcohol content, a loaf of bread, fruit, vegetables, and a wheel of cheese. I expect you to be back within the hour."

The minion gives Belos a salute, and he snaps his finger to send them back where he grabbed them from while he lets out a sigh.

"A shame that you slaughtered my more competent servants."

"I didn't have a choice..." Apricus grumbles.

"I know. I don't blame you for anything, it isn't your fault if you're lied to." Belos chirps as he pats their shoulder.

Apricus groans and rubs their forehead. "I haven't been lied to!"

_"Then why didn't anyone tell you who I am before sending you off to kill me, hm?"_

"Nobody sent me Father. They didn't have to." Apricus mutters, dodging the first part of his question. Belos notices this of course.

* * *

 _"Goodness,_ I think I'm feeling rather peckish myself. That servant should have been back by now..." Belos remarks as he rests his chin on the top of Apricus' head.

To their immense disgust, his gunky flesh sticks to their hair.

"You did ask him to get a lot of food, I don't mind sharing." Apricus says as cordially as they can while they disentangle themself from their father.

_"Ohh, aren't you sweet? Thank you, but I won't be needing any."_

Eventually, the two of them hear a very distant 'My Lord!' from the bottom of the tree, and there's the servant with the basket full of food. Belos lifts his finger up, and the servant is cloaked in red magic and floated up to where they can address Belos properly.

"This is the highest quality I could find on short notice, I hope it pleases you." Says the minion, their face obscured with an off white mask made out of some poor witch's skull.

Belos hums as the basket is floated over to his hands. He takes his time inspecting everything for signs of tampering, and lifts the bottle of mead to his mouth to take a small sip before putting it back with everything else.

 _"Yes, this is suitable. Thank you for your service."_ Belos closes his fist, and the field of red magic contracts and crushes the man's head.

"NO!" Apricus screams before throwing themselves away from Belos.

They almost fall off the tree in their desperation to try to move away from him, but before they can they too are caught in his grasp and they can't move.

"Why? _Why? He didn't do anything wrong!"_ Apricus starts to sob while Belos reaches out and pets their face again. They open their mouth and bite his hand, but it's just as gooey as the rest of him and tastes like old blood.

"He was tardy, and besides. I'm hungry too you know."

Then Belos lifts up his mask, but all that's behind it is a gaping maw with rows after rows of teeth lining an inky abyss that stretches to engulf the freshly made corpse.

It's all Apricus can do to close their eyes so they don't have to see this, but they still hear the sounds of bones snapping and flesh tearing while their father has his grisly meal.

"Why?" They say in a hoarse whisper, their resolve on the verge of snapping entirely. Belos stops eating for a moment to pet them with the back of his hand before continuing.

_"You wouldn't fault a wolf for needing to eat a lamb, now would you? I have no choice in the matter."_

Apricus makes a sickly groan and starts dry heaving, but The Carrion King takes no issue with this.

"You're going to have to get used to this eventually you know, I'm not going to hide myself even if it's for your benefit. I owe it to myself."

Belos lets out a sigh and keeps going, and soon enough he's licking his hands after he's done and puts his mask back on. "You can open your eyes now little one."

"I don't know if I want to." Apricus mutters, only having the ghost of their bravado to rely on now.

"You need to eat breakfast." Belos replies as he sets them back down on the branch. "Unless you want me to feed you?" He says in a teasing tone, and lets go of his telekinetic hold over Apricus to drop them on their back.

"Don't touch me." They say flatly and snatch the basket out of his hand.

Of course, they go straight for the mead. It's just enough alcoholic as is needed to make sure there isn't any deadly bacteria, and it's more like liquid bread than anything else.

Even with all the calories Apricus chugs it down, desperate for anything to try to dull the nightmare they're currently in.

Even with the empty stomach and drinking the entire bottle, at most Apricus feels mildly tipsy. "Fuck you." They say after they set the bottle down with a clank, and their father giggles.

"Still feisty as ever, good to see. I won't have my child being some weak willed worm." The Carrion King croons.

"Can it, or I'm breaking this bottle over your head." Apricus hisses like a frightened cat.

That brings another round of laughter out of their father, but he heeds their wish and lets them pick at the rest of their food in relative silence while he studies them.  
  
  
  
 _art by[ @coventual-interests](https://coventual-interests.tumblr.com/) on tumblr_


End file.
